Understanding the Psychological Games That Fast-Food Restaurants Play

That sudden midday craving for fries and a shake? It’s no accident, and neither is the “impulse” splurge on a soft drink or dessert. Subliminal messages are mostly the stuff of science fiction, but fast-food restaurants have all kinds of subtle tricks to lure potential customers in and keep them spending once they’ve walked through the doors.

Read on to learn how McDonald’s, Chipotle, Taco Bell, and others at the top of the industry keep their business booming.

Painting the place red

The trick: Color theory isn't the most exact science, but its assertion that red acts as an appetite stimulant seems to hold up. The most popular color for food packaging, red raises blood pressure, heart rate, and people's desire to eat everything in sight—hence, its use in table cloths and other forms of restaurant decor. Similarly "warm" hues like orange, yellow, and pink get the job done as well.
The example: McDonald's, of course, and its West Coast competitor In-N-Out.

Smell good, eat more

The trick: Given how much of taste is made up of smell, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that aroma can have a pretty strong influence on what and when we eat. That's why one of a food-court restaurant's greatest weapons is its scent: there's no better advertisement, or incentive for potential customers to shell out some cash.
The example: If you didn't read this and think "Cinnabon," you're not real.

Two words: Food porn

The trick: Pictures speak louder than words, and showing a burger/drink/whatever does more to sell it than just a name on a menu board. Of course, the Whopper that Burger King looks nothing like the one that comes out of the drive-thru window—but at that point, you've already been sold.
The example:The Waffle Taco ad in the window of every Taco Bell in New York right now

Blasting Top 40

The trick: A 2012 study from Cornell found that the dulcet tones of classical music, smooth jazz, and the like leads to diners sticking around longer...and eat less. Which means it's in a restaurant's interest to blast the music loud and keep the tempo high, ensuring turnover on precious real estate and instilling a sense of urgency, leading patrons to chow down as quickly as possible. Not the best move for customers' waist lines, but great for restaurants' budgets.
The example: That "EDM for straightedge runners who are high on life, not molly" playlist that's playing in Jamba Juice. Every. Single. Day.

Offering meal deals

The trick: A burger, fries, and soda combo may cost less than a burger, fries, and soda ordered separately. But it still means more money for the restaurant than an order of just a burger, or even a burger and fries. It's the best of both worlds: the customer thinks they've scored a deal, while the restaurant moves an extra vending machine's worth of Coke each day.
The example: Every "____ Combo Meal" ever sold; McDonald's Extra Value Meals

Turn on the lights.

The trick: Mood lighting may provide ambiance, but fluorescents—or at least full lighting—sends the same "grab the food and go" message that cranked-up music does. Candle-lit dinners are nice, just not for profit margins.
The example: All those reflective surfaces keep Chipotle nice and bright.

Keep the options limited, but not too limited

The trick: Formulating a fast-food menu is something of a Goldilocks game. Too many options and customers are overwhelmed; too few and they don't feel like there's enough to choose from. The sweet spot for casual joints, according to a study published last spring by the UK's Bournemouth University, is somewhere around six items per menu category. (Fine-dining establishments can go up to about seven to ten.)
The example: Once again, Chipotle. No one streamlines a menu like the burrito masters.

Name it, describe it, sell it

The trick: For every kind of food, there's a whole set of clichéd adjectives to describe it: coffee's "aromatic," beef "sizzles," ice cream is "rich." Including some descriptive copy adds extra appeal to a dish, and ethnic-sounding names can bring an aura of authenticity.
The example: What's a Coolata? Dunno, but it sure sounds refreshing.

Same dish, different sizes

The trick: It's a form of the "bracketing" effect, whereby providing two different prices for the same item makes the lower price look more affordable by comparison. Especially when the higher price is for an item so absurdly large most people won't order it anyway—like a Venti. Smaller items generally yield more profit, giving chains extra incentive to push diners in that direction.
The example: Starbucks, Jamba Juice, McDonald's—you name it.

Manipulating the menu design

The trick: There are a ton of tricks outlined in by William Poundstone in his 2010 book Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value and How to Take Advantage of It. Most of them employ classic visual misdirection, such as placing high-priced items in the top right corner (where the human eye goes first) and "burying" cheaper or less profitable items in the bottom left. Simply making an item bigger or placing a box around it has the power to boost its sales exponentially.
The example: KFC, Taco Bell, and the like giving top billing to the stunt menu item of the month.

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